Sim City 4 not launching

[Oohforf 19]

Hey.

Since today, I've had this issue with Sc4 not launching.

The error is "Please insert the SimCity4 Deluxe play disk, select OK and restart the game"

Neither of the CDs are working to start the game; I'm using disk 2, the correct disk to start it.

If it helps, my computer was recently in the shop (nothing too big, dust was removed and RAM clocked to normal speed). I also performed some hardware/driver updates, so I think this is where the issue lies.

Thanks for any help.

[The Avatar 1,089]

Did you try running as administrator/in compatibility mode? I had an issue on an old computer where SC4 wouldn't launch, and running as administrator worked every time.

I don't know if this will solve the issue, but it's worth a shot.

[Oohforf 19]

It didn't work. :S

Actually, before having this issue, I didn't need to run the game in Administrator mode or Compatibility mode despite me having Windows 7 64 bit

[Ion_Cannon 677]

Check the disc for scratches, after that give it and the drive itself a clean. Failing that if the computer is recognising the disk you could make a disk image of it and use that to load the game instead.

[Oohforf 19]

Check the disc for scratches, after that give it and the drive itself a clean. Failing that if the computer is recognising the disk you could make a disk image of it and use that to load the game instead.

The CD actually has little to no scratches. As for the clean, I did that earlier today xD

I was thinking of doing a disk image. Do you mind guiding me through it, or is there some form of guide or something?

[Ion_Cannon 677]

Check the disc for scratches, after that give it and the drive itself a clean. Failing that if the computer is recognising the disk you could make a disk image of it and use that to load the game instead.

The CD actually has little to no scratches. As for the clean, I did that earlier today xD

I was thinking of doing a disk image. Do you mind guiding me through it, or is there some form of guide or something?

It will differ a bit depending on what program you use, but it should be fairly self explanitory, I would recommend daemon tools lite. Once you've downloaded and set it up simply insert the CD into the drive, open up daemon tools and click the make disc image button. Then create a virtual drive using the same program, once that is done mount the image on the virtual drive and it should be good to go

  Edited July 26, 2012 by Ion_Cannon  

[Oohforf 19]

Check the disc for scratches, after that give it and the drive itself a clean. Failing that if the computer is recognising the disk you could make a disk image of it and use that to load the game instead.

The CD actually has little to no scratches. As for the clean, I did that earlier today xD

I was thinking of doing a disk image. Do you mind guiding me through it, or is there some form of guide or something?

It will differ a bit depending on what program you use, but it should be fairly self explanitory, I would recommend daemon tools lite. Once you've downloaded and set it up simply insert the CD into the drive, open up daemon tools and click the make disc image button. Then create a virtual drive using the same program, once that is done mount the image on the virtual drive and it should be good to go

The funny thing is that I already have Daemon tools lite :S

But my computer doesn't seem to recognizing that there is a cd in there, which is a whole different problem.

If I find the solution I'll still probably make a disk image, lol.

Thanks for the help

[Superbacon 380]

If you still haven't found the solution then try this:

Open your Task Manager and open the Processes tab. Scroll down until you find the SC4.exe process or something like that. End that process. Launch SC4. If that doesn't work then I dunno what the problem is.

[tjh876 31]

It seems like something is wrong with your CD/DVD drive. Check a different disk entirely and see if it picks it up. If it does not, I would recommend going into Device Manager (you can access this through the Control Panel) and look for CD/DVD drives, and check to see if it says it is running normally, or if it is disabled. Click on the drive to see more information, and if it is disabled, you can just re enable it, and hopefully it will stay running. If there is a warning sign next to the name, I would recommend re installing the driver. It could be just a bad driver. If it says though that is is running normally, but it is not picking up a disk, it could be a bad driver, or a bad drive. I would finally check the connection if none of this works, could be just an issue where it is not connected properly to the computer.

Best of luck,

Tom

[Oohforf 19]

It seems like something is wrong with your CD/DVD drive. Check a different disk entirely and see if it picks it up. If it does not, I would recommend going into Device Manager (you can access this through the Control Panel) and look for CD/DVD drives, and check to see if it says it is running normally, or if it is disabled. Click on the drive to see more information, and if it is disabled, you can just re enable it, and hopefully it will stay running. If there is a warning sign next to the name, I would recommend re installing the driver. It could be just a bad driver. If it says though that is is running normally, but it is not picking up a disk, it could be a bad driver, or a bad drive. I would finally check the connection if none of this works, could be just an issue where it is not connected properly to the computer.

Best of luck,

Tom

Yeah, it's probably a bad driver or a bad connection.

I'm not really the best with computers when it comes to the computer itself. How would I check the connection?

[tjh876 31]

First, try reinstalling the driver for the CD drive. Make sure it is the correct driver too. Also open up "Device Manager" (you can do this through the Control Panel, and if you have Windows Vista or 7, you can do this also by searching "Device Manager" in the search bar in the start menu.

Regarding checking the connections now, and I assume this is a desktop (if it's a laptop, I highly doubt it would be a connection issue). These directions are for a desktop computer only, and perform this at your own risk, I am not liable for any damage or destruction. I recommend doing this on a table or on a non-static source, and take anti-static precautions. These are not necessary, but recommended.

Okay, now with all the legal stuff out of the way, lets get to the directions. First, for safety for you and your computer, remove all cables going into the computer (Power, Internet, Video, Mouse, Keyboard, etc.). Then, look for a panel (Usually the left side if you are looking from the front) that might be held on by with a screw, and take out the screw and slide out the panel. This is your access door/panel, and you should see all the guts of your computer. Next, locate the CD Drive, and make sure the connections going into the drive are secure. There should be two (2) cables going into the drive, a cable from the PSU (where the power cable plugs into), and one going into the motherboard. Like I said before, check the connections. Then, follow the (ribbon) cable from the drive to the motherboard, and make sure that connection is secure. If any of the connections are loose, that probably is your issue. After you check the cables, put the panel back on, plug all the cables back in, and start up the computer. See if the disk works now.

If you need help, feel free to contact me on Skype, like I said before. My user is tjh876, and I would be more then glad to help get SC4 running again.

Best of luck,

Tom

[Oohforf 19]

First, try reinstalling the driver for the CD drive. Make sure it is the correct driver too. Also open up "Device Manager" (you can do this through the Control Panel, and if you have Windows Vista or 7, you can do this also by searching "Device Manager" in the search bar in the start menu.

Regarding checking the connections now, and I assume this is a desktop (if it's a laptop, I highly doubt it would be a connection issue). These directions are for a desktop computer only, and perform this at your own risk, I am not liable for any damage or destruction. I recommend doing this on a table or on a non-static source, and take anti-static precautions. These are not necessary, but recommended.

Okay, now with all the legal stuff out of the way, lets get to the directions. First, for safety for you and your computer, remove all cables going into the computer (Power, Internet, Video, Mouse, Keyboard, etc.). Then, look for a panel (Usually the left side if you are looking from the front) that might be held on by with a screw, and take out the screw and slide out the panel. This is your access door/panel, and you should see all the guts of your computer. Next, locate the CD Drive, and make sure the connections going into the drive are secure. There should be two (2) cables going into the drive, a cable from the PSU (where the power cable plugs into), and one going into the motherboard. Like I said before, check the connections. Then, follow the (ribbon) cable from the drive to the motherboard, and make sure that connection is secure. If any of the connections are loose, that probably is your issue. After you check the cables, put the panel back on, plug all the cables back in, and start up the computer. See if the disk works now.

If you need help, feel free to contact me on Skype, like I said before. My user is tjh876, and I would be more then glad to help get SC4 running again.

Best of luck,

Tom

Sorry about the late response.

I actually made a threat about this issue and I got the same answer, so I will be trying it in the future.

Since I'm afraid of making my computer explode ( ), I plan to take it to a shop and explain my issue there and ask them to do the procedure you tell me.

Thank you very much for the help

  Edited August 3, 2012 by Oohforf  

[A Nonny Moose 8,263]

It is very difficult to mess up your system if you stay out of safe mode. All the operations discussed here can be done by anyone with administrator permissions which are pretty safe.

This game is of the era where people were pretty much aware of their machines as more than a home appliance. You shouldn't have to spend money to do things like this. You would be better to spend your money in a night-course in "Introduction to Computers" at your local college.

"Give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for life."

[Oohforf 19]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I think I managed to fix this issue.

Yesterday, I was able to open up the computer case, locate the CD drive, and push in a cord a bit tighter. I actually thought it wouldn't do anything, but when I popped in my SimCity 4 cd not too long ago, it actually started.

Thank you again for the help.

And you are right, haha. I know most about the computers, but the actual "guts" of the computer really boggle me. I should get some form of training to avoid such drama in the future >_>.

  Edited August 9, 2012 by Oohforf  

[A Nonny Moose 8,263]

Sorry to bump this old thread, but I think I managed to fix this issue.

Yesterday, I was able to open up the computer case, locate the CD drive, and push in a cord a bit tighter. I actually thought it wouldn't do anything, but when I popped in my SimCity 4 cd not too long ago, it actually started.

Thank you again for the help.

And you are right, haha. I know most about the computers, but the actual "guts" of the computer really boggle me. I should get some form of training to avoid such drama in the future >_>.

Pushing connectors together is not rocket science, and if you can follow a schematic drawing you can even build your own machine starting with a mother board and an enclosure. Something for the very enthusiastic, though. I haven't the patience nor the vision to do this.